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I was checkin out some iBooks on apple.com and the 14 inch was $1299. But the thing it's speed is only 1 gig. Then i went on dell.com. I searched up a 2.8 gig Pentium 4, 14 inch laptop. it was $1079. Both the iBook and the Dell laptop have 256mb memory, a 40gig hard drive, and 14 inch screens. How come the 1gig iBook is more money than the 2.8gig Dell laptop. Shouldn't the iBook be way cheaper considering it only has a speed of 1gig? Which is faster...

While the 2.8 laptop may be faster, you need to keep in mind the MegaHertz Myth which is "the belief that clock frequency (MHz/GHz) is the only true measure of real processor performance." Bottom line is that a G4 1Ghz machine is not 180% slower than a P4 2.8GHz machine like the numbers suggest.

Also the iBook may have better specs...lower weight, smaller dimensions, etc.

I think the time has come to the point where the speed of the computer is not the most important factor in selecting a computer. The modern computers are all now "fast enough" for the average consumers. Unless there is a specific need, whether it's video processing, math calculation, running a 3D game at 1600x1200 doing 60fps, or what have you, either a PC or a Mac will provide sufficient computing power for your everyday use.

The computer is becoming more of a consumer commodity these days. The buying decision is made based on many factors. It could be performance, price, aesthetics, usability, or simply personal preference. Why do Sony products cost more than Panasonic that cost more than RCA? Why are there $5000 DVD players when you can spend $50 to buy one at Circuit City? Why are BMW more expensive than a Mustang, when Mustang has more horsepower?

Apple Macintosh has been traditionally more expensive than a comparable PC. That's because it's overall a better computer. The only argument from the PC advocate that used to hold true was that a PC is faster than a Mac. So what? They are both pretty fast these days.

Another thing to compare would be the battery life. I've read that P4 laptops don't have nearly the same amount of battery runtime as G3/G4 laptops or Centrino laptops. Considering that this is supposed to be a portable computer, I would consider this before making a decision.

I still use my old PowerMac 7300/500 (G3 upgrade), which is quite sufficient for me -- mostly general use. I have used many PCs at many different schools, some running the nearly 2Ghz processors, and my old PowerMac 7300 is about the same, as far as general use is concerned.

Would be nice to have a T1 connection though!!

At home, we still use some very old Apples and Macs, which are still quite usable machines (Apple IIgs, LC II, Classic II, SE/30, PowerBook 540c).

We don't do any high-end gaming, video, or graphics, so we don't need a super-computer. I still like the Apples/Macs the best.

Now to get back to the main topic -- iBooks. I love my new G4 1Ghz iBook. There are some things on my iBook that are faster than my PowerMac 7300/500, but other things that are slower. I still use both at my computer station. It's much easier to take my iBook with me wherever I go however!

I don't mind paying a little more for a high quality computer, that I will still be happy with many years from now. We still pull out our old Apple IIgs machines (three of them), Macintosh 512Ke, and Plus, just for kicks.

I really don't think there is that much of a speed difference, you really can't reley on MHz to tell you how a machine is going to run. Especially not when one is a Mac and one is a PC, their architecture and the way they process is totally different. I think if you buy the Mac and get use to it if you aren't already, you will love OS X and never want to use a PC again. Thats how it was for me a couple of years ago even on OS 9. Besides my mom is getting a Mac because she is sick of viruses and popups on the web. She had tons of spyware on her machine and I really don't know why, she doesn't download much of anything.

Yeah, i spent all day yesterday trying to rid my mum's pc of a virus... and she spends max. 20 min on the web a week (and knows not to open unknown attachments etc)

"Hard desicion... I don't know weather to go for iBook for OS X, or the Dell for the speed. I think i'll wait a year or two... so the speed of the iBooks can increase. Then wait for a few price drops.

Well thanks to everyone!"

Well by then the ibook will have 2GHz and the Dell will have 4, so what?
It's a different type of processor, so the macs aren't going to "catch up" because they're already comparable performance-wise...

It's like comparing (pun) apples and oranges and saying oranges are better because of the taste..

IMO - Macs are more user friendly. My experience working in many schools with children grades K-12 has been that Macs are much more user friendly, and also for the staff.

Since 1989 I've never had to worry about problems with viruses. I've downloaded thousands of files from the Internet, exchanged files between home and many schools, used many kinds of removable media in many different schools (including colleges), and never had any major problems with viruses on the Macs. I've also worked in PC labs (college, primary/secondary schools as well) and had nothing but problems, with the PCs crashing, and nobody to help me (even the computer techs and teachers had trouble!).

Go with the G4 iBook, or G4/G5 PowerBook. It will serve you well!! That's my .02 worth of experience and advice.

Yeah, i spent all day yesterday trying to rid my mum's pc of a virus... and she spends max. 20 min on the web a week (and knows not to open unknown attachments etc)

"Hard desicion... I don't know weather to go for iBook for OS X, or the Dell for the speed. I think i'll wait a year or two... so the speed of the iBooks can increase. Then wait for a few price drops.

Well thanks to everyone!"

Well by then the ibook will have 2GHz and the Dell will have 4, so what?
It's a different type of processor, so the macs aren't going to "catch up" because they're already comparable performance-wise...

It's like comparing (pun) apples and oranges and saying oranges are better because of the taste..